Riley's Freaky Friday
by wolf with panther eyes
Summary: They say that before you criticise someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That's an exercise I really could have done without. Besides, why do I have to walk in the shoes of someone I wasn't going to criticise anyway?


I've recently become a National Treasure fan, as well as a Riley Poole fangirl (how could you not?!). Anyway, this is my first National Treasure fanfic. It's also the first body-switch story I've written in first person, just to be different.

So, please enjoy, and remember that reviews are more than welcome!

* * *

I knocked once before sliding open the glass door. "Hey, Abigail."

Abigail glanced up from the table piled high with wedding gifts in front of her. "Hey, Riley," she replied, leaning over to hug me in greeting.

I pulled back, grinning. "You know where Ben is?"

"He just left for some last minute suit adjustments," Abigail replied, her gaze concentrating once more on the gifts in front of her. "He should be back soon."

"Well, I suppose he's got to make sure everything's perfect," I shrugged. "What with tomorrow being the big day, and all that." I touched the edge of my glasses absentmindedly. Huh. I'd forgotten I'd left them on. "Judging from these gifts, it looks like it'll be a pretty good turn out."

"Yeah, it does, doesn't it?" I could hear the pride in her voice.

"Oh yeah, I forgot. Speaking of presents…" I dug into the pocket of my jacket, eventually pulling out the small wooden statue I'd placed there earlier. "Have a present on me. Not my real one, just a little extra."

Abigail tilted her head to one side, reaching out her hand for it. "What is it?"

"Well." I leaned closer, mockingly dropping my voice to a whisper. "Apparently this little guy here is a 'Walk a Mile' charm - you know the old saying, right?"

"Walk a mile in someone else's shoes," Abigail obligingly stated, her eyes sparkling. "That way, you're a mile away and you have their shoes."

I straightened up, grinning again. "Well, I actually found it on my way over here, and thought you may as well have it." I turned it over. "But it does have the whole 'Walk a Mile' thing written here, see?"

Abigail extended her hand again, probably wanting to get a closer look. Her fingers brushed mine she grasped the end of it.

My vision suddenly flashed white, my whole body going numb. I couldn't feel, see or hear anything! I couldn't even breathe. I would have panicked, but I just couldn't bring myself too. It was almost like… like I had suddenly become an emotionless ghost.

And then all my senses returned to me with a bump. I blinked: once, twice, automatically letting go of the small statue I had still been holding, sending it crashing to the ground. The panic I had attempted to feel before came and went as I took in a few gulping breathes, clutching my head in my hands.

"Oh my god." A voice near me whimpered. "Oh, oh!"

That voice was familiar in some way, although I couldn't quite figure out who it was. I opened my eyes slowly.

The first thing I noticed was that my vision was obscured by several long strands of blond hair. I gingerly tugged at a strand before pushing it behind my ears. I felt queasy; I was absolutely certain that my hair was short and dark, not long and blond. My vision now clear, I saw that the person opposite me was…

Myself.

I stared in disbelief. My other self stared back.

"Ri-Riley?" My double ganger whispered, his eyes wide behind his glasses - the same glasses I had been wearing.

The glasses I suddenly realised I wasn't wearing now.

I reached up, feeling my face. Yep, no glasses. And - and my whole face felt different, somehow…

I turned quickly and ran into the corridor, panic beginning to get the better of me. My mind swirled. Mirror. I needed a mirror. I ducked into the nearby bathroom and stared into the glass above the basin.

Abigail gazed back at me.

I grabbed at the basin to stop myself from falling over in shock. Abigail copied me. Funny, her expression was even mirroring mine…

Oh, who was I kidding? I _was_ _her_. I was Abigail. No, even worse. I was still Riley Poole inside, but I somehow looked _exactly_ like Abigail Chase on the outside!

Another face appeared in the mirror behind me - my own.

"Riley?" He repeated my name hesitantly, tapping my shoulder.

This time, I put two and two together without even thinking about it. "Abigail?" My voice sounded unnaturally high, almost the complete opposite of my usual.

Abigail - if that was her - was silent for a moment. Then she slapped me.

I leapt back, crying out involuntarily. "Jeez, what was that for?"

"Oh, I don't know!" Abigail-as-me looked absolutely furious. "For buying some stupid ornament that switches our bodies _the day before my wedding_!"

I rubbed my cheek, avoiding her gaze. "Yeah, sorry about that," I replied awkwardly, not quite sure what to say.

Abigail's - well, my - shoulders sagged. "Sorry," she muttered in my voice. "Oh, god, what are we going to do?"

"Well, I want to find a way to reverse this as soon as possible," I responded in hers, absentmindedly glancing down at myself. I stared. "Crap, I'm a girl!" I yelped, forgetting myself for a moment as new shock set in.

A grin appeared on my usual face. Apparently Abigail was finding this amusing. "I would have thought you'd figured it out by now."

"But - I'm a girl!" I repeated wildly, automatically clutching at my chest.

Abigail slapped me again. "No touching!" She exclaimed severely. "After all, it's not like I'm going to want to touch you -" she paused, the expression on her face slipping once more back to panic.

I rubbed my cheek again, forcing myself to breathe slowly. "What?"

Abigail averted her gaze. "I, uh, think I need the bathroom."

I froze. "Oh, hell," I muttered under my breath.

Abigail's - my - face went pale. "Riley…"

I grabbed her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. As I was actually looking at myself, the feeling was pretty weird. "Abigail, if you really need to go, I'm sure you can do this. I mean, you helped find the Templer Treasure and the City of Gold! You can do this."

"I can do this," Abigail echoed, breathing heavily.

I grinned. "There you go. In the meantime, I'll go have a look at that statue."

I tried not to think about it as I wandered back into the room we had left the statue in, focusing instead of the pretty oak panelling of the walls. I'd never noticed before how hypnotising those wooden swirls were.

The statue had stayed where we had dropped it, which was handy. I somewhat hesitantly scooped it up and examined it.

"Hmmm…" I murmured, not quite sure what I was looking for as I twirled it through my fingers. It was simply a small light wooden statue of some king - dressed in his crown and robes, with a short beard - with the words 'Walk A Mile' imprinted on the base. Nothing unusual at all about that.

Then again, it had somehow caused Abigail and I to switch minds.

"There must be something," I muttered to myself, holding it closer to my eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

I jumped in shock as Ben's voice suddenly sounded in my ear. I could feel his arms move around my waist. "Hey!" I cried without thinking. "Watch it!"

Ben chuckled. "Sorry, Abigail. Just having a little fun." He kissed my cheek in greeting.

"Oh god," I muttered, pulling away, trying not to panic again. Great. Ben was back, and I was still Abigail. I'm sure my face turned pale as I realised that my best friend thought I was his fiancée.

Ben stared at me, his face clouded with concern. "You okay?"

I forced myself to smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Ben raised an eyebrow, but he didn't question my shaky answer. "So, what have you been doing?"

Doing? What had I - what had _Abigail _- been doing?

I glanced at the table beside me and remembered. "Sorting out wedding gifts," I responded quickly, gesturing to the table.

The real Abigail chose to walk in that moment, still fiddling with the waistband of my jeans. "Riley!" she exclaimed: I could hear a trace of pride in my voice. "I think I did okay in there-" She froze as she glanced up, noticing Ben. I winced.

"Riley?" Ben repeated, glancing from her to me and back again. "Is there something going on here I should know about?"

I swallowed, hiding the statue behind my back as I tried to think of a cover story. "Err, well, Ben, you see…"

Abigail scowled at me, narrowing her eyebrows behind my glasses, clearly forbidding me from telling Ben what had happened. I couldn't help feeling impressed; she made me look scary.

Unfortunately, Ben had noticed her expression as well. "Look, if there's something going on here, I want to know about it," he protested, his searching gaze settling on me again. "You were saying, Abigail?"

"I wasn't saying anything," Abigail replied, folding her arms across her chest.

"I think I said Abigail, not Riley," Ben corrected her, his frown deepening.

"Well, Ben." I reluctantly pointed towards Abigail. "She _is_ Abigail."

"Riley!" Abigail hissed just loud enough for me to hear. I ignored her.

"And _I'm_ Riley." I gestured at the body I was currently inhabiting. "We, err, kinda switched bodies."

Ben performed his glancing-from-one-to-the-other trick again while Abigail and I waited with baited breath for his reaction.

He laughed. "Okay, was a Freaky Friday rerun on while I was gone or something?"

"No!" I exclaimed almost too quickly. "Ben, look, it's really me. _Riley_. R-I-L-"

"C'mon, Abigail," Ben interrupted, still grinning. "There's no need to keep this up."

The real Abigail sighed. "Ben, Riley's actually right on this one, for once."

"Yeah, exactly -" I began to say. Then I frowned, realising what she had said. "Hang on, what do you mean, 'for once'?"

Ben's smile began to droop. "You two can stop fooling around now," he suggested a little sternly.

My eyes met Abigail's. Hey, I'd never noticed how nice my eyes were until now.

A small smirk appeared on my old face as Abigail moved towards Ben. "I can prove that I am Abigail," she told him defiantly in my voice. "Here…" She leaned forward, resting her hand on Ben's shoulder as she whispered into his ear.

I closed my eyes briefly, wishing I wasn't watching this. The way Abigail had positioned herself around Ben just made me look so gay. Whatever she was saying appeared to be working, though - Ben's eyes were growing wider, his expression more shocked.

Still clinging onto him, Abigail asked quietly "Now do you believe us?"

Ben stared at her. "Ab… Abigail?" He stammered.

Abigail nodded, grimacing slightly. "For now, anyway."

"Oh god." Ben staggered backwards, clutching onto the table for support. His eyes flickered to me. "Riley?"

I sighed, waving my hand. "Present."

Ben stared a little longer before finally standing up straighter, switching into his cool and collected adventure mode. "Okay, I believe you. What happened?"

Abigail placed her hands on her hips, making me look girly. "Gee, maybe you should ask _Riley _this one."

I glared at her as I held up the statue so Ben could see it. "See, I found this when I was out this morning, and was going to give it to you."

"Can I see?" Ben interrupted, reaching out for it. I jerked my hand back quickly before he could touch it.

"Look, Ben," I explained rapidly. "I was holding it when Abigail touched it, and that's when - when this happened." I gestured down at myself again.

Ben tapped his chin thoughtfully. "What if you both hold it together again? That might reverse it."

Abigail shrugged. "It's worth a try." She held out her hand.

Hesitantly, I held out the statue, allowing Abigail to place her hand on the other end. We both closed our eyes.

"Is it working?" Ben inquired.

I prayed that it was. My eyes flickered open, and I glanced down at myself.

I groaned. "No."

Abigail ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Your hair feels so short," she muttered.

I shrugged in response.

"Hmm." Ben leaned back. "Abigail, can you toss me that statue? I want to take a closer look at it."

"It's Riley," I corrected him as I threw the statue. Ben caught it neatly, whipped out his glasses and held it close to his face.

"We've really got to sort this out soon," Abigail put in, a trace of anxiety in my voice. "It's our wedding tomorrow, Ben, and I want to be the bride rather than the best man."

"You know what," I added, nodding. "I totally agree with that." I frowned. "Except the other way round."

"Walk a mile." Ben read the inscription under his breath before glancing up. "What if it means literally?"

"Literally?" Abigail echoed. "You mean we just have to - well, walk a mile?"

Ben shrugged. "It's worth a try." His lips twitched into a smile as he added "after all, tomorrow I'm hoping to marry my fiancée, not my best man."

I smiled weakly in return. "Yeah, I'm happy to try anything."

Abigail sighed. "Same."

"Okay, then." Ben glanced out the windowed side of the room. "I'd say our driveway was about half a mile long - wouldn't you say so, Abigail?" He continued without waiting for her to answer. "So walking to the end and back should do it."

Abigail nodded. "Let's just hope this works."

"Amen to that," I added, crossing my fingers.

We left on our walk, leaving Ben behind to do some research on the statue. The ornament itself was tucked securely in Abigail's pocket in case it needed proof we'd walked the required distance. Abigail was quiet, keeping her eyes on the path in front of her.

"Shouldn't I somehow have been warned this would be a bad day?" I wondered absentmindedly, breaking the silence. "Like, I don't know, my shoelace should have broken, or I should have walked under a ladder - something _reasonable_."

Abigail shrugged my shoulders. "Yes, it would have been good to have some forewarning. Then I could have just locked the doors, barricaded myself in my room and refused to let you come anyway near my home."

I pretended to wince. "No need to sound so hostile."

Abigail turned her head, glowering. "Have you forgotten that I'm you? I think that's reason enough."

"Well, that may be." I kicked a loose piece of gravel. "But I'm having a tough time too, if you remember." I pulled a few strands of hair in front of my face to emphasise my point.

Abigail chose not to reply, and I decided to keep silent as well. No use making her even more upset than she already was.

Never one of us said anything until we were once more approaching the house. Abigail raised her head. "Riley?"

"Uh-huh?"

"What - what happens if this doesn't work?" Abigail asked softly.

"It's _got_ to work," I replied firmly.

"Yes, but - what if it doesn't?" She stopped and rubbed at her left eye, shielding her face from me.

"Hey." I stepped towards her, placing my arm around her shoulders. "Look, even if this doesn't work, we'll find a solution. Ben's researching it right now."

Abigail sniffed quietly. "You're right, Riley," she agreed, her voice wavering. "Sorry."

I stared at her, bemused. "For what?"

Abigail grinned weakly. "For making you look like such a girl."

I grinned back. "Well, I'm sorry for making you look like such a guy." I let go of her shoulders. "Come on, we're almost there."

"Hang on." Abigail reached into my pocket, pulling out the statue. "Maybe we should both hold on to this."

I tilted my head to one side. "Could work," I agreed, grasping the other end firmly. "Shall we?"

Abigail nodded, and we walked on, both of us gripping the statue tightly. As we drew closer, nothing happened. Let it work the next step, I pleaded. Okay, maybe not that one. The next step, then.

Eventually, we came to the door. Abigail stopped, glancing at me, her eyes wide. "It didn't work."

I sighed. "Well, I'm sure Ben has Plan B sorted out. Let's go in."

It was as we stepped over the threshold that I suddenly felt weightless again, my vision leaving me instantaneously.

And then I could breathe again. Instead of blinding whiteness, I could see darkness, and I realised I had my eyes closed. Slowly, I straightened up.

"Please, god, please let me be me again," I whispered to myself as I raised my hands to my head, feeling the back of my neck.

My eyes snapped open, and I grinned. "Yes!" My hair was short, feeling just as it normally did. I glanced down at myself.

"Arms back, legs back." I rubbed my chin, my grin widening as I found a trace of stubble. "Face back!"

"Yes!" I heard a familiar voice beside me exclaim. I twirled around to see Abigail running her hands through her hair in delight. Her gaze flickered to me. "Riley, it worked! I'm me again!"

"And I'm me!"

We gleefully hugged each other.

"I take it this means you two are back to normal?" Ben inquired, grinning as he sauntered over to us, leaving his laptop on the coffee table.

"That's if you called us normal to begin with," I laughed giddily as Abigail flung herself around Ben, kissing him fiercely.

"And the bride becomes the bride once more," I couldn't help commenting. Ben and Abigail broke apart, grinning sheepishly.

"I missed you," Ben murmured into Abigail's hair.

I left them to it, very glad that I wasn't the one Ben was kissing. As I stepped outside, my foot connected with something that rolled away across the gravel - Abigail and I must have dropped the statue when we switched back. I bent over and picked it up.

"Funny little thing," I muttered to myself, examining it once more and finding nothing new. I shrugged, then threw it as far as I could, turning around before I could see it land. The further that thing was away from me, the better.

"Riley!" Ben stuck his head out the door, holding a piece of paper in his hand. "Do you still have the statue?"

I laughed. "Nope."

"Aww, that's too bad." Ben shrugged, his eyes twinkling. "I was doing some research. I couldn't find anything about its supposed 'powers', but apparently an artefact like that is worth a lot of money to some people."

"Yeah?" I'm sure my ears pricked up at that. "How much?"

Ben gave me the paper he was carrying, pointing to the figure at the bottom.

I immediately shot off in the direction I'd thrown the statue in. "Hey, little statue!" I called. I could hear Abigail and Ben laughing at me, but right now I didn't care. "Come on, come to Riley!"

Man, it felt good to be me!


End file.
